Flat panel displays include a cathode and an anode, separated with spacers and enclosed in a vacuum. The anode typically includes an outer glass layer and an inner phosphor layer. Emitters in the cathode emit electrons, which strike the phosphor layer on the anode and emit light.
During viewing, ambient light from outside the anode tends to reflect off the glass layer of the anode and the various inner layers of the anode at the intersections between layers. These reflectances reduce contrast and reduce the picture quality as seen by a viewer. The total reflectance of such systems can be as much as 14%, which in some circumstances is unacceptable.